Book I
Meditations
The private notebook of the most powerful man alive, telling himself to calm down.
A book club for young men
Your mentors are dead.
Their advice isn't.
History's best mentors are long gone, but they wrote it all down. We post you their books one at a time, at a pace you'll actually keep up with.
From $45 a book, postage included · Skip, pause or cancel any time
The faculty:Marcus AureliusSenecaEpictetusSun TzuMusashiLao TzuFranklThoreau
How it works
Two thousand years of advice. One book at a time.
I
Pick your pace
A book every month, every two months or every three. Want a different pace later? Just ask.
II
We pick the book
Hand-picked and put in an order that builds. The ones that hook you come first.
III
It lands at your door
Your book, plus Field Notes on who wrote it, why it lasted and what to look for.
IV
Read it. Keep it.
It's yours to mark up and keep. Skip a delivery, pause or cancel from your account any time.
In every delivery
What turns up at your door.
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The book
A good, readable translation. Yours to keep, mark up and lend to a mate.
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Field Notes
A card on who wrote it, why it lasted and what to look out for. Ten minutes and you're ready.
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A letter from the Society
Sealed in wax, with a reading plan that gets you to the last page.
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A bookmark
With the one line from the book worth remembering.
Why dead mentors
Most advice online comes from a bloke with a podcast, a course and about three years of life experience.
Ours comes from an emperor, a former slave, an undefeated swordsman and a general who'd rather win without a fight. It's been road-tested for two thousand years, and it still holds up.
Mortui vivos docent.The dead teach the living
The reading list
The first six books.
In the order they turn up. Each one is short enough to finish and good enough to reread.
Book II
The Art of War
Thirteen short chapters on winning before the fight even starts.
Book III
Letters from a Stoic
Letters to a friend about time, money, fear and death. Still bang on.
Book IV
The Book of Five Rings
An undefeated swordsman's notes on strategy, written in a cave near the end of his life.
Book V
Man's Search for Meaning
A psychiatrist survives the Nazi camps and works out why some men kept going.
Book VI
The Enchiridion
A pocket handbook from a former slave: work out what you control, and let go of the rest.
Membership
Pick your pace.
Same books, same order, same price. You just choose how often they turn up.
Every month
$45 a book
In paperback, or $59 in hardcover
Twelve books a year. For when you're hungry for it.
Start monthlyEvery two months
$45 a book
In paperback, or $59 in hardcover
Six books a year. Time to let each one sink in.
Start every two monthsEvery three months
$45 a book
In paperback, or $59 in hardcover
Four books a year. One a season.
Start every three monthsPostage included anywhere in Australia. Skip, pause or cancel from your account any time, and ask us if you want a different pace.
Gift a membership
Know a young bloke who needs this?
Give 3, 6 or 12 books, paid up front. We'll print your note in his first letter. Good for Christmas, 18ths, 21sts and the mate who's had a rough year.
Give a membershipFrom $129 for 3 books · No subscription to cancel
Questions
Fair questions.
What if I've already read one?
Let us know before it ships and we'll swap it for another book from the list.
Can I skip or cancel?
Yes. Skip a delivery, pause or cancel from your account whenever you like. No phone calls, no guilt trip.
Where do you post to?
Anywhere in Australia, and postage is included. Books leave within 2 business days of each payment.
Which translations do you send?
Modern, readable ones. If a translation reads like a tax return, it doesn't make the cut.
Paperback or hardcover?
Your call. Same books either way. The paperback is made to carry around and mark up, and the hardcover is a proper hardback made to keep.
Is it just for young men?
That's who we had in mind, but the dead don't check ID. Anyone's welcome.
Can I give it as a gift?
Yes. Gift memberships are paid up front, don't renew, and come with your note sealed in the first letter.
Read the dead. Live better.
Join the SocietyFrom $45 a book, postage included. Skip, pause or cancel any time.